Kalunga XR is inspired by the symbologies of Kalunga, present in the dikenga dia Kôngo cosmogram. A cosmogram from Bantu – Kongô – ethno – linguistic group, located mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, and is a representation of a life path, between human and spiritual worlds. Kalunga is the horizontal liquid membrane of the cross inside the cosmogram: the sea. Is the boundary between the living world and the world where the souls of the ancestors meet. The concept is to reflect on the meanings of the word Kalunga nowadays in relation with the transatlantic trade of enslaved people and the Afro – Diaspora that results from this journey throughout the sea. The dikenga dia Kôngo cosmogram is present in Afro-Brazilians traditions and is incorporated as a cosmovision. During this journey many people died or committed suicide on the sea. In Brasil, the sea is called the “Big Kalunga” and the burial-grounds are called the “Small Kalunga”. In that moment of history the sea “Big Kalunga” had both symbolic functions: The sea itself, a place of transition in life and burial-grounds a place of transition after life. 

The cosmogram is a circle divided by a four-point cross related with the cardinal directions. The upper and lower points of the intersection of the circle, the vertical line of the cross (or North and South) are associated with certain times of the day. The upper one (N) at midnight, the time when the souls of the ancestors acquire greater strength, and at noon, the moment of greatest strength of the living. The lower point (S) corresponds to sunset (6pm), the moment of the transition from the power of the world of the living to the world ancestors, and to the sunrise (6am), the moment of transition of the power of the world of the ancestors to the living world.

Looking for Afro-Diasporic artistic practices and deepening the matters of archive, ancestry, temporality, heritage and belonging, the work explores performative methods of embodiment and archiving. These artistic practices have an interdisciplinary perspective exploring how embodied experiences are translated or transformed when they are transmitted through media forms like dance, performance, video, photo, sound, and installation. These questions raise important issues around the relationship between performance, re-enactments, technology, and embodiment. 

The notion of archive usually refers to a collection of documents, records that are preserved for historical, cultural, or legal purposes. Archives are essential for preserving and transmitting collective memory and cultural heritage, and they can provide valuable insights into the past. Archives can also be used to shape and construct narratives of history and identity. Together, memory, identity, and archive are important for understanding and interpreting the past, as well as shaping the present and the future.